Controversial military exercise Jade Helm 15 officially ended this week, and contrary to the concerns of conspiracy theorists, they never took over the state and declared martial law.

When Jade Helm 15 was first announced as a military exercise in Texas, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana, some in Texas expressed concern over the presence of a military force in the state, speculating its intention as a government takeover of the state, confiscation of firearms, or even the declaration of martial law.  Even Gov. Greg Abbott responded to the concerns by ordering the Texas State Guard to monitor troop movements in the exercise.

However, not all response to the exercise was in the vein of paranoia.  Residents in Bastrop commented on the operation on its first official day two months ago, showing they had more concern about their town being shown as a bunch of conspiracy nuts than a military takeover.

The website "Counter Jade Helm" was created to offer “counter-insurgency, organizational and intelligence gathering,” but they only filed a single report from the field in Texas and noted that their volunteer turnout was lower than expected.  Gov. Abbott's office received daily updates from the State Guard on the military exercise and noted that though today was the final official day of the exercise, troops left the state yesterday.

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